ED provisionally attaches Kala Amb institute campus

Campus of Himalayan Group of Professional Institutions, Kala Amb, is among other properties provisionally attached by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Shimla today under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in the case of Himachal Pradesh scholarship scam.

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They figure among five immovable properties valued at Rs 18.27 crore belonging to Maa Saraswati Educational Trust, Nahan which have been attached today.

These properties include three pieces of land measuring about 125 bighas registered in the name of Maa Saraswati Educational Trust located in Nahan and two flats in Panchkula registered in the name of Preeti Bansal and Richa Bansal, who are trustees in the Maa Saraswati Educational Trust.

“The trust runs the Himalayan Group of Professional Institutions, Kala Amb, and the attached assets of 125 bighas of land include the land on which Himalayan Group of Professional Institutions is currently being run at Kala Amb,” stated the ED officials.

ED initiated investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by CBI, Shimla, pertaining to irregularities in disbursement of scholarship by the Directorate of Higher Education (DoHE), Shimla, under Post Metric Scholarship Scheme for OBC/SC/ST students of Himachal Pradesh.

ED investigation revealed that these institutes had fraudulently received scholarship funds by verifying the details of those students who were either not enrolled in any course with these institutes or those who had left the institute without completing their course.

Further, in order to fraudulently obtain more scholarship funds, false details of students were uploaded on the HP-e Pass portal (scholarship portal of DoHE, Shimla) by either changing the course where a student was enrolled in subsequent years or changing the caste category of students in subsequent years, showing students as hosteller instead of day scholars and claiming bogus course fee structure for distance education courses.

The proceeds of crime, so obtained, by various persons involved in the offence were used to acquire movable and immovable properties in their names and in the name of their family members.

Earlier, searches conducted by the ED resulted in seizure of incriminating material, cash to the tune of approximately Rs 80 lakh and freezing of their properties to the tune of Rs 2.80 crore lying in various bank accounts.

Provisional attachment orders for attachment of movable and immovable assets to the tune of Rs 10.67 crore has also been issued. This provisional attachment of assets, seizure of cash and freezing of bank accounts had been confirmed by the Adjudicating Authority, PMLA. The total provisional attachment of movable and immovable properties in this case stands at about Rs 29 crore.

Further, two persons guilty of offence of money laundering were arrested in this case on January 30. They are presently in judicial custody. Earlier in this case, four persons had also been arrested on August 30, 2023.

Further investigation is under progress stated an official.